HOBO RX3000 Remote Monitoring Station Manual
19
•
Make sure the station remains in a vertical position once it
is placed in its deployment location. If it is mounted
horizontally, the battery could be damaged over time as it
is charged and the antenna (if applicable) will not have
optimal range.
•
If you haven’t already done so, plug in an AC adapter, solar
panel, or other external power source to keep the battery
charged.
•
If you are using a wind speed/direction sensor or if the
station will be installed on a roof or in a location with
exposure to lightning, use the grounding wire included
with this station and ground the tripod or mast using
appropriate grounding, such as the Grounding Kit (M-
GKA). A grounding wire may also reduce potential sensor
errors that can result from installing near other radio or
electrical equipment or antennas. See
Installing the
Grounding Wire
.
•
Make sure all cables and wires are fastened securely,
routed through the cable access openings, and placed in
the rubber cable channels. Any empty holes in the cable
channels need to be filled with the appropriate size plug to
ensure the station is weatherproof. See
Installing the
Weatherproof Rubber Cable Channel and Covers.
•
Do not store excess sensor cable wire coiled inside the
station case or within one foot outside the case.
•
Protect cables and wires with conduit. Exposed cables can
be chewed by rodents.
•
Make sure the total cable length for all installed smart
sensors does not exceed 100 m (328 ft).
•
Consider using a padlock to restrict access to the station.
With the station door closed, hook a padlock through one
of the latches on the right side of the door and lock it.
When setting up the RX Wireless Sensor Network:
•
Stay close to the RX3000 station when adding motes to the
wireless network because you will need to access both the
station and the mote at the same time. After the mote has
successfully joined the wireless network, you can then
move it to its deployment location.
•
Check the signal strength on the mote LCD on the location
where you want to place the mote. If there is only one or
two bars on the signal strength indicator, consider moving
the mote to a location where the signal strength is
stronger.
•
Make sure motes are mounted a minimum of 1.8 m (6
feet) above the ground or vegetation to help maximize
distance and signal strength as shown below.
•
Consider using a plastic pole such as PVC to mount the
motes.
•
Make sure each sensor mote and repeater is positioned so
that the built-in solar panel receives optimal sunlight
throughout each season as shown. It may be necessary to
periodically adjust the mote position as the path of the
sunlight changes throughout the year or if tree and leaf
growth alters the amount of sunlight reaching the solar
panel.
•
Obstructions between motes can prevent reliable network
communication. If the mote is blocked by a small
obstruction (e.g. a pole, the RX3000 station, shrubbery),
then move the mote to a location where the obstruction is
not blocking the path to the nearest mote. If there is a
change in elevation between motes or a large obstruction
is in the way (e.g. a building or tree), then either reposition
the mote until there is full line of sight to the next mote or
add a repeater between them.
•
There should not be more than five motes in any direction
at their maximum transmission range from the RXW
Manager. Data logged by a wireless sensor must travel or
“hop” across the wireless network from one mote to the
next until it ultimately reaches the RXW Manager at the
RX3000 station. To make sure the data can successfully
travel across the network, the mote should not be more
than five hops away from the manager.
•
Use the Map feature in HOBOlink for a bird’s eye view of
the network and wireless paths. See the HOBOlink Help for
details on this and other ways to monitor the status of
your network and sensor data.
•
Use cable ties or screws to mount the mote via the holes
on the mounting tabs.
•
Make sure the mote remains in a vertical position once it is
placed in its deployment location for optimal network
communications.
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